yesterday, the Kerry-Lugar Amendment to restore the $4 billion previously cut from the international affairs budget—the source of almost all u.s. international anti-poverty funding—passed the senate in a unanimous voice vote.
in short this means millions who will potentially lead healthier, more productive lives because of AIDS medicine, schools, infrastructure projects, clinics, and other development projects funded by the international affairs budget.
we'll see if this new government aid come along side the beautiful work being done in africa right now.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
0 to 4
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
just to clarify, it was not $0 in total spending, it was an INCREASE of the $4 billion dollars cut from President Obama's request for an additional $5 billion, bringing the total to $53.8 billion (roughly $400 per tax paying american).
article 1, section 8 lists the purposes of our tax dollars, and what the congress has the power to do: "collect taxes to provide for the common defense and general welfare of the united states." basically, a levied tax upon the citizens of the united states that is not appropriated for the defense of the united states, or it's welfare, is explicitly un-constitutional.
having $53.8 billion (an increase of ~$5 billion dollars up from last year) worth of taxes or other debts that is going to the aid of non-united states citizens is not legal.
if this were an argument about how much money people should give to the starving or displaced across the globe, yes... we should be raising billions of dollars. however, this "raising of money" for "forced help"/humanitarian intervention/foreign aid/"welfare" is not, and should not be, a function of the federal government.
... sigh.
Amen, Eric! Unfortunately, lots of people these days measure compassion by how much they are getting their government (i.e. other taxpayers) to donate rather than by how much they themselves are donating.
Post a Comment